Law of Three
by AAJ Edward
Summary: A Fairy tale of old and classic tellings, what happens when it becomes real? For Matt, Tai, and Davis it did just that...
1. Where the hell?

Disclaimer: I don not own Digimon, only the ideas and choices made in this fanfic along with a few characters i made just for this story alone.

Hey! guys! I'm back with another story! I know i have a lot of them out right now but I'm waiting for summer break which is about nine days away. I'll be working on them all summer, i promise!

* * *

Artist: **Dj Satomi**  
Title: **Castle In The Sky**

There's a place in my mind  
No one knows where it hides  
And my fantasy is flying  
It's a castle in the sky

It's a world of our past  
Where the legend still lasts  
And the king wears the crown  
But the magic spell is law

Take your sword and your shield  
There's a battle on the field  
You're a knight and you're right  
So with dragons now you'll fight

And my fancy is flying  
It's a castle in the sky  
Or there's nothing out there  
These are castles in the air

Fairytales live in me  
Fables coming from my memory  
Fantasy is not a crime  
Find your castle in the sky

You've got the key   
Of the kingdom of the clouds  
Open the door  
Leaving back your doubts

You've got the power  
To live another childhood  
So ride the wind  
That leads you to the moon 'cause..."

Three tasks… three warriors… three guides… three enemies… three worlds… three, three, three… Always three…

The Law of Three 

Tai glanced around. He could have sworn he'd been here before. Sitting up, he faced the blinding light of the sun. Something moved beside him and he quickly whipped his head around to look at his side. A small dinosaurian like creature lay fast asleep, breathing evenly and deeply against Tai's hip. He blinked.

"Agumon?" The creature cracked open an eye before leaping up and tackling the teen.

"TAI!"

A clawed hand gently shook the shoulder of the teen in front of him. The light violet fur marked by darker purple stripes. Red eyes stared intently at the sleeping figure. It sighed.

"Matt…Matt…. MATT!" he finally barked. The teen shot up and looked around wildly before his gaze came to rest on the creature before him. He smiled at the sight of his old friend.

"Hey Gabumon…"

A groan as Davis rolled over and onto his side. He cracked open his eyes to come face to face with a sleeping Veemon. He blinked and then sat up. He couldn't be in the Digital World… could he? One look around his surroundings and he knew he wasn't there. He sighed and poked Veemon after fixing the goggles on his head. Veemon's eyes shot open and he yawned, stretching while sitting up.

"Where are we?"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Phoenix, Phoenix,_

_Sorrow and gloom,_

_I filled my heart with unending doom._

_Cry, Cry,_

_To the end of time,_

_Until the day I end this rhyme…_

_Warbler, Warbler,_

_Why do you sway?_

_To keep those who travel_

_Far away._

_Why for the travelers_

_Do you weep?_

_To warn them of death_

_in the stony keep._

_Dungeon, Dungeon,_

_And brimstone walls_

_Pinning me_

_To the world of laws_

_Treasure hoarded for the love_

_For all that shines and sparkles above…_

_Three verses will be sung by the last night of the third month. As the last note falls, the sands of time will still… and the moons will align… then all will fall into rhyme._

_I twist words, I play the strings of life like a harp, strumming whichever way I want, playing with lives and twisting, turning paths until the way becomes unclear and I turn friends against friends and enemies become allies. Come play my game where the only law… is the Law of Three…._

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Night fell fast as the sun began to creep below the horizon, blacking out the lines of trees and stones, making the poor duo trip and fall on their faces. Tai looked over to his side where Agumon had fallen yet again. He stopped and helped up the mud covered Digimon, noticing the grime coating his own arms and hands. He frowned. Ever since he grew older, he'd acquired an extreme dislike of getting dirty. A twig snapped somewhere nearby.

Tai glanced at Agumon who nodded and they both scanned the area. A figure, a shadow, moving just past the first row of trees. It was fast, stealthy like a cat… or a fox. Tai gulped. He'd forgotten how scary the Digital World could get at times. The figure suddenly split and became two. Tai froze.

Matt shook his head; water droplets fell from his hair. His slate eyes scanned the trees surrounding the small crystal clear pond. He didn't like how quiet it was. The sky had been darkening for over an hour now and Gabumon seemed to have sensed Matt's unease.

The previously mentioned Digimon reappeared after slipping off briefly in search of food. He came back empty handed. Matt's eyes softened at the shamed look on his friends face. He set a hand on Gabumon's shoulder.

"It's okay, Gabumon… At least you tried." The Digimon lifted his head at this and smiled slightly. A shadow suddenly loomed over the two. Then, within the blink of an eye, the shadow became two.

The fire crackled and Davis sighed happily as the fish cooked on sticks. The small trail of smoke filtered up through the canopy of the treetops, blocking out the moon slightly with a smoke screen. Veemon was lazily dangling his hand and tail in the small river nearby, letting the luke-warm water rush over his skin and pass him by. The relaxing atmosphere was short lived, however, as a spear came to rest against Davis's neck and Veemon was pinned down by another, stronger arm.

Tai was thrown back as one of the figures charged, throwing a shoulder into his chest. His back hit a tree at full force, knocking the wind from his lungs. Agumon made a move to help him when the other figure slipped out of the shadows and surrounded him in nine large tails. The fox like face snarled inches in front of his snout. Agumon whimpered.

Greedily gasping for air, Tai sucked in as much as he could before the same shoulder as before was slammed into his chest once more, pinning him against the tree. The attacker let him fall to his side. His eyes began to close and he saw just the hands and feet of his attacker as the person took out a rope. "Bind the other one…"

Matt ducked and rolled out of the way, spinning around to come face to face with a girl around his age. Her wild eyes were fierce as the black paint that encircled them added a tribal wilderness about her. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, suddenly lashing out with a straight hand at his neck. He stepped to the side out the way and countered with a punch aimed at her stomach. He didn't have time to think about fighting a girl being wrong. She dodged and brought her knee right up into his jaw.

He sidestepped and glanced Gabumon fighting it out with a large cat like creature. He caught time to see Gabumon go down before another attack came. He moved to the side but her bare foot clipped him in the ear, making his skin bleed and sting. He turned to look at her once again, about to attack, when the butt end of her hand hit him directly in the jaw, throwing his head back. He hit the ground with a loud crack and rolled onto his side in pain. She pinned him down with her foot and bound his hands. Seconds later he blacked out with the image of her face burned in to his memory and his ears ringing.

Davis's attempted fight was all but a success. Infact it was a miserable failure. Veemon had almost managed to free them both but was knocked out in the process. He wasn't much better off. A few hits and the spear had him pinned through the shoulder to the cold, hard ground as blood seeped from his wound. The person seemed to be tall and looked almost female like in build. The only problem was he couldn't see her face. A large tribal mask of a wolf covered her face and hair, the wolf's pelt falling over her back and down her shoulders.

Veemon had been taken down by what seemed to be a small deer like creature with wicked looking horns and fangs, but scarily enough it looked cute. The spear was removed after a while and he was flipped onto his back, his hands bound and carted off as he slipped into blackness.

Tai opened his eyes to find not only he and Agumon in the room but also four other faces. The first was Matt, his eyes closed and his body slumped beside the second, being Gabumon who waved slightly in greeting after noticing Tai's awakening. Davis was curled in a corner, also out cold, as was Veemon. Agumon as well was unresponsive besides tiny little whimpers of pain or grunts Tai returned Gabumon's wave when the door opened.

"Get them to their feet… we can't stay long." A woman's voice whispered.

"I don't like that we had to use blunt force… it's wrong."

"I'm guessing that you attacked from behind…" the first said a little annoyed.

"And with her spear no doubt…" came a third voice, deeper than the rest. Tai recognized the first voice as his attacker's voice.

"Let's just get them moving so we can get out of these parts of the woods… this place is beginning to creep me out." The second said, her voice rising slightly in panic.

"Yes… let's get back to the labyrinth… they'll be safer there as will we." The third agreed. They walked fully into the clearing as he now noticed. One was wearing a wolf mask, lifted and resting on her head, the voice of the second speaker fit her looks. The girl next her held an air of deadly accuracy and deadly actions as the black paint and tattoos surrounded her eyes. She had to have been the third speaker. The other was likely the first speaker; her pale skin and high held head captured an air of confidence and a force demanding respect.

"Jezzy… get the blonde up. You caught him he's your care." The paler girl ordered. The girl with black around her eyes nodded and went over to where Matt lay. Gabumon looked at her frightened when she smiled sweetly and pet his head quickly.

"It's okay, buddy… I'm not gonna hurt ya, not anymore."

"Kat… do you want me to take care of the boy I brought?" asked the girl with a mask. Kat, the pale girl, nodded.

"Yes Alex… that would be helpful…" the masked girl nodded and walked over to where Davis mumbled in his sleep. Veemon was also still stuck in slumber. Kat finally walked over to where Tai sat. She smiled, noticing he was awake.

"Good to see one of you's awake." She then became serious, throwing a walking stick at him. "Get up!" she growled. Tai jumped and scrambled to his feet. Agumon woke with a snort and soon followed, noticing Tai's haste.

The others were soon awake and all standing, though painfully. The three girls were merciless or so it seemed. By sun up they had the group moving. They walked out of the clearing and into the real and dangerous forest. Noises that would have seemed normal on other times seemed to make them jump and become edgy. They stopped only once they'd reached the labyrinth. Tai gawked while Matt just panted. Davis was looking at it as if he couldn't believe it was real. Jezzy turned to look at them, her spear gripped loosely yet comfortably in her calloused hands. Her long, black hair plaited into a braid falling well down her back. Her blackish green eyes tinted with silver as the moonlight hit them.

"Welcome… to the Labyrinth…" She nearly purred affectionately as she spoke of the Labyrinth. Alex smiled and slid a hand over one of the older stones, smooth from years of weathering. Her slender fingers finally came to rest in the moss that filled the cracks of the stones. She brushed her feathery brown hair back and blinked her violet eyes. Kat swept her steely-eyed gaze across the group and woods around them before turning to face the six prisoners. Her reddish blonde hair fell loosely from its ponytail in the weak breeze.

"This is home… the first few times you leave and enter the Labyrinth you'll want to be accompanied by one of us… is that understood?" the silent response of nods answered her question. "Good… let's go…"

Inside the walls of the maze were cold and damp, water dripped from the faces of rack and created small pools an unsuspecting person could step into. They turned a few corners and Jezzy muttered something to Kat before trotting ahead. It was quiet… until…

"RAWR!!!!!!!!!" Scream Kat stopped and her head shot up as did Alex. Matt and Tai switched gazes and Davis tripped. Jezzy came speeding around one of the many corners and her fingertips grazed the earth beneath her, keeping her from falling.

"Run! RUN!" she screeched, jumping up and just barely dodging getting burned. The small group didn't have to wait for her to repeat the words.

"Into the Labyrinth!" Kat called. Jezzy's voice echoed over hers.

"Out of the Labyrinth!"

Matt glimpsed something out of the corner of his eyes and noticed it was a tail snaking it's way through the undergrowth. The tail suddenly reappeared and lashed out at Davis. Grabbing the kid's shirt collar, Matt roughly pulled him over to safety.

"WHAT THE HELL!?!" Davis screeched and then fell silent as he saw what had nearly happened to him.

"Hey Tai! Catch!" Kat yelled, tossing Tai a small object. He caught it and recognized it as his Digivice. Jezzy handed Matt his as she slipped along the tops of the Labyrinth and Alex tossed Davis his.

"You can Digivolve your Digimon here but they can only use weapons found around our world… none of their abilities from your world! Hurry!" Jezzy called, leaping over a large rock and flipping over to another wall to dodge the large flames that came spewing at her. "NOW!" She disappeared over the edge of the wall. Matt looked to Gabumon. The Digimon nodded in response. Tai looked to Agumon as Davis looked to Veemon. The response was the same. They Digivolved. That's when it dawned on them just exactly what Jezzy had said.

"WHAT!?!" Davis yelped, tripping over his own feet for a second before regaining balance. Kat came up beside them.

"Use what you know! Use what's around you!" and at that second they burst from the Labyrinth, Jezzy right beside them all the time.

"Just give it a small fight! Don't over work yourselves. You might wind up dying on the way if you do!" This didn't sound so fun so they quickly nodded and thought of what they could do.

"Garurumon! Stop and face it!" Matt finally called. Tai caught on, as did Davis. The six of them stopped to face it. Jezzy tripped and skidded across the leaf-covered ground. Picking herself up she turned and shouted.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?! When I said fight it I meant while running! You won't even see it coming!" She was right… they didn't…

- - - - - - - - -

What happens when all innocence dies? When… all hope is lost even if only for a single second? Do we die for that small instant? Do we… lose ourselves? I wouldn't know…But… what happens when one close to you is thrown back into the mix…?

Life… is so cruel…

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Opening his eyes, the light blinded him. He rolled over and buried his face into a pillow. Wait… he opened his eyes and sat up. Sweeping his gaze across the room around him he found he wasn't in his own room. Sunlight filtered in through the open windows and fell onto his face, glinting off his sandy blonde hair. He blinked and his slate eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden brightness. The room was decorated with white woods and silver painted walls. Symbols for what he guessed to be ice decorated the walls in just the tiniest hint of a shadow. He stood and noticed he was dressed in what appeared to be blue silk. The shirt hung loosely open and showed the bandages wrapped around his torso. He looked at his hands to find them bandaged down to his knuckles and up to just below his elbow. Blue jeans hung loosely on his hips. A black net like material was placed at the bottom of the left pant leg, finishing the pant leg entirely. The right leg was styled like that of shorts. The same black netting hung from where the denim stopped and down to just below his knee. His feet were bare and cold against the wooden floor as he began to walk towards the silvery colored wooden door. He stopped as he found a pair of socks and silvery white tennis shoes. A small note was scribbled on a piece of paper lying on top of the shoes. He slipped them on and read the note.

The room was a dark orange, almost burnt in color. He stretched and looked around, finding a neatly folded set of clothes on a chair near the bed. He walked over and picked up the shirt. It was a tight fitting silk Chinese style top. He slipped it on and clasped the small hooks in the front. The fabric was a blaze orange with swirls of slightly darker orange in the shape of fire in the stitching. He found that a pair of kaki pants accompanied the shirt. He slipped these on gratefully and found the vibrant orange shoes. He then found the note. He picked it up and quickly read the neat handwriting.

He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy brown hair, stopping as he noticed the lack of goggles on his head. He looked around wildly and stopped as he came to see a shirt and pants hanging from the doorknob to the room he was in. The walls, he now noted, was a gray tinted blue and dull orange. He walked over and pulled on the black shirt and orange vest. He zipped it up so the neck closed around the tip of his chin. He then pulled on the dark blue denim jeans. The shoes beside the outfit were blue with orange markings. These he slipped on and noticed the small, neatly folded origami crane with the words "Read me" written on it. He unfolded the paper and read.

It was a council of nine. The three girls sat at the head of the table. Tai, Matt, and Davis each sat in every other seat, their Digimon sitting beside them. The atmosphere was dead silent and heavy upon their minds was the quiet. Finally Kat stood.

" The three of you have been summoned here as the destined Warriors… your Digimon, I believe as you call them, are what would be known as the three Companions. We are what you will know as the Three Guides… we're here to help you in your tasks…" the room was dead silent and finally Jezzy spoke.

"Kat… I do believe they don't know what you're talking about. Let me explain…" she said, standing. Kat frowned but nodded and sat down with out a word. She scanned their confused faces.

"How many of you have ever heard the tale of…The Law of three? It's a fable or a fairy tale told in your world if I remember correctly." The boys suddenly grasped what she was talking about. She smiled slightly. "Good… this is what you could call a real life telling of the aforementioned tale. You all play a part in the tale. You have three choices… finish and take the crown, finish and hand the crown down… or never finish… and never go home. None of these choices are set in stone. The tasks you'll face will influence your final choice. Each of you will have your own three individual tasks as well as three tasks for you as a group to complete. We're here to guide you through the world and help you along the way where we are allowed. Will you accept the first task?" she held out a well built, slender hand that was elegant yet strong in the way she held it palm up and out towards them. Her nails appeared almost like talons. She kept her gaze steady and calm as she looked at each of them in turn. Each looked at the other and finally Matt pushed back his chair and stood.

"I'll take it…" She smiled and brought her hand up to beckon him forward.

"Come then… the three of you need to think of one person you care about most… we're going to play a little game of hide and seek…"


	2. The first task

I'm back... again... and i have no life! YAY ME!

Disclaimer: Do not own... though i wish i did...

* * *

Artist: **Dj Satomi**  
Title: **Castle In The Sky**

There's a place in my mind  
No one knows where it hides  
And my fantasy is flying  
It's a castle in the sky

It's a world of our past  
Where the legend still lasts  
And the king wears the crown  
But the magic spell is law

Take your sword and your shield  
There's a battle on the field  
You're a knight and you're right  
So with dragons now you'll fight

And my fancy is flying  
It's a castle in the sky  
Or there's nothing out there  
These are castles in the air

Fairytales live in me  
Fables coming from my memory  
Fantasy is not a crime  
Find your castle in the sky

You've got the key   
Of the kingdom of the clouds  
Open the door  
Leaving back your doubts

You've got the power  
To live another childhood  
So ride the wind  
That leads you to the moon 'cause..."

Three tasks… three warriors… three guides… three enemies… three worlds… three, three, three… Always three…

The Law of Three 

_Phoenix, Phoenix,_

_Sorrow and gloom,_

_I filled my heart with unending doom._

_Cry, Cry,_

_To the end of time,_

_Until the day I end this rhyme…_

_Warbler, Warbler,_

_Why do you sway?_

_To keep those who travel_

_Far away._

_Why for the travelers_

_Do you weep?_

_To warn them of death_

_In the stony keep._

_Dungeon, Dungeon,_

_And brimstone walls_

_Pinning me_

_To the world of laws_

_Treasure hoarded for the love_

_For all that shines and sparkles above…_

_Three verses will be sung by the last night of the third month. As the last note falls, the sands of time will still… and the moons will align… then all will fall into rhyme._

_I twist words, I play the strings of life like a harp, strumming whichever way I want, playing with lives and twisting, turning paths until the way becomes unclear and I turn friends against friends and enemies become allies. Come play my game where the only law… is the Law of Three…._

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"How many of you have ever heard the tale of…The Law of three? It's a fable or a fairy tale told in your world if I remember correctly." The boys suddenly grasped what she was talking about. She smiled slightly. "Good… this is what you could call a real life telling of the aforementioned tale. You all play a part in the tale. You have three choices… finish and take the crown, finish and hand the crown down… or never finish… and never go home. None of these choices are set in stone. The tasks you'll face will influence your final choice. Each of you will have your own three individual tasks as well as three tasks for you as a group to complete. We're here to guide you through the world and help you along the way where we are allowed. Will you accept the first task?" she held out a well built, slender hand that was elegant yet strong in the way she held it palm up and out towards them. Her nails appeared almost like talons. She kept her gaze steady and calm as she looked at each of them in turn. Each looked at the other and finally Matt pushed back his chair and stood.

"I'll take it…" She smiled and brought her hand up to beckon him forward.

"Come then… the three of you need to think of one person you care about most… we're going to play a little game of hide and seek…"

- - - - - - - -

"What does she mean we have to find our most cherished one!?!" Tai growled. Matt shot him a silent glare and Davis just rolled his eyes.

They had been walking around the Labyrinth for a good few hours now, with much reassurance from Jezzy that the creature was no longer there. They had been sent out to find the exact center of the portal and had found that, not only was it a very large and difficult maze, but the walls also moved every hour, changing the paths around. Tai hadn't shut up the entire time, Davis had taken to kicking rocks a head of him, and Matt was silent. Jezzy followed closely behind, making sure they had no idea of her presence. She was having trouble not to laugh at the odd trio.

"Oh my Gawd!!!!!! What am I gonna do!? Sora! Sora! What'll I do if while I'm here… Matt… Matt…What if Matt steals my chance with Sora!?!" Tai squawked, hyperventilating. Matt looked over at him flatly and clearly un-amused.

"Tai…"

"No! I can't let it happen!"

"Tai…"

"BUT WAIT! What if… what if… she… she… she likes him!?!"

"Tai…"

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" **SLAP!**

"TAI! Goddamnit! I'm right here! Baka!" Matt growled, rubbing the back of his now red hand. Tai blinked in shock before bursting into tears. He clung to Matt, drenching his shirt. "Tai! G'r offa me!" Matt shouted as he was thrown down as Tai's weight was shoved into him.

"Oh Matt! I'm soooooo sorry! I'm just worried about Sora! I don't want her to get lonely without me there!" He sobbed.

"Get a hold of yourself man! You've been sucked into some weird world without anyone knowing about it and all you can think about is Sora!?! What about your sister!?! Poor TK's all alone at the house probably wondering when his big brother's gonna be there to pick him up for the day! And you know what!?! I'm not gonna show! You know why!?! Because I've been dragged into another reality along with your sorry ass! AGAIN! Now get the fuck offa me!" Matt then proceeded to squirm his way out of the weeping Tai's bone-crushing grasp. Davis just watched with interest at the scene unfolding before him. He slumped.

"Crap! TK's gonna steal Kari from me!" He screeched, his voice hitting that same octave high note Tai's had taken. Matt stopped struggling and looked over at Davis like "You've gotta be kiddin' me…". Giving one final kick to Tai, Matt was free and holding Tai back with his hand holding Tai's forehead, preventing him from moving further. ((A/N: Even though he kept trying… not very bright is he?))

"Davis please… could ya just spare me a little agony while we're here? I already have to help deal with your 'hero'…" Matt said, adding finger quotations on the word "Hero" with his free hand. Davis frowned.

"Wow Matt… you really know how to make an ass of your self…" Tai piped in, suddenly sounding very happy. Matt frowned at him.

"Listen wise ass! Do you wanna live to get out of here and see Sora?" Tai nodded. "Then shut the hell up and deal with it!" Matt growled, moving his hand so Tai tripped forward a couple steps before catching himself again.

"MATT! You're so mean!" Tai whined. Matt just deepened his frown. Davis glared.

"Hey! Don't make fun of him just 'cause he's slow!"

"Yeah!" Tai agreed. "Don't make fun of me just 'cause I'm- HEY!" Matt smirked, snorting as held back a laugh. Davis shrugged.

"Hey! Sorry man! But… you can't change the truth…" He said as if it would save his hide. Some how it did.

- - - - - - -

Hands danced over the smooth surface of the polished hematite ball. The hand looked lethal yet elegant as the black nails etched with silver tapped a rhythm on the stone. Her Black eyes sparkled as she watched what the ball was showing her.

"Those boys won't stand a chance… let's give them a little shove in the right direction…" she purred, lifting a silver thread from a place on the stone slab. She held it so it fell straight down, taking a pair of old, blood rusted scissors, she snipped the string in half.

"Let them find their most cherished…"

- - - - - - - - -

Tai was leading, seeing as they had three months and each month would circle around a different persons three tasks. After looking into who they were it was decided the first month was Tai the second was Davis and the third was Matt. None of them found any problem with this. If this was what it took to get them home then they were willing to do pretty much anything. That's when they found it, the center of the maze and the portal. Jezzy finally revealed her presence.

"Good job… you found it. Ready for a little game of hide and seek?" She asked, stepping out of the shadows. The three jumped and flinched slightly.

She walked over and touched her hand to the portal. The thin line grew to become a large oval that reflected all before it. It looked almost like a silvery mirror made of pure water. The surface of the portal rippled slightly as she touched it once again. She then turned to them.

"Your first task…as a group. You will be sent into a land of what we call daydreams. Everything will be … well … normal. You will each have exactly one hour to search for, find, and rescue your designated person. If the three of you are not back within the hour… you've already failed." She narrowed her eyes and her smile faded. It was uncomforting. Tai and Matt both exchanged glances before looking over to Davis. He blinked and looked at the other two.

"Have I made myself clear?" she smiled. "And… go." She turned an hourglass upside down so the sand began to pour to the empty compartment at the bottom. The three of them launched into the portal. "Good luck young knights…" she whispered quietly.

The grass was a welcome feeling yet dreaded at the same time as Tai found himself landing on his ass in the soft green grass. He stood and shook the grass from his clothes. He scanned his surroundings and stopped when he noticed he was outside of his school. He hurried over to the doors only to find them locked. This was odd. He turned and thought of other places he should try. His home. He nodded in silent agreement with himself and took off down the road.

He reached his home and tried the door. It was locked. He frowned and turned back to each of his friends' houses. It was this time around as he ran through the streets that he realized everyone was frozen in mid action. He checked each and every house he came upon and finally came to Sora's. He knocked and then tried the door after remembering that everyone was frozen.

He looked around on the empty rooms and stopped when he heard sniffling. He followed the noise all the way to Sora's room. He knocked then entered, quietly calling her name. She looked up.

"TAI!" She shrieked, jumping up and latching to him, sobbing into his shoulder. Tai wrapped his arms around her and leaned his cheek on her shoulder. She was the only person he'd found that wasn't trapped in the hold of time.

"They're watching us… they know you're here…" she whispered. He quirked a brow and looked down into her eyes.

"What?"

"The watchers… they don't want you to win…" she whispered. The fear in her eyes scared Tai and that's when he heard it. He froze. Turning to face the new comer, he was met by the fiercest eyes boring down onto him.

"Get up…" The deep, commanding voice scared him, as did the fiery red eyes. Tai stood. The new comer laughed. His slate colored skin seemed like it was covered in soot and sweat. Red markings covered his entire body, glowing with the heat of fire. The Feathery black hair fell into the eyes, barely seen due to the glow emitting from him. The new comer laughed.

"Fool… do you listen to everybody?" He asked before thrusting forward with a sword. Tai barely snaked out of the way, the blade grazing his arm slightly. A startled yelp escaped him.

"Who are you!" he hissed. The new comer just laughed again.

"My name is Cerberus, but don't worry… you won't have to remember it… seeing as you'll be dead…" Tai could have laughed had the situation been a little, well, less violent. "Why do they always give the Bad Guys such cheesy lines?" He thought to himself before dodging another attack. He was sure of one thing, this guy may have bad taste in threats but he meant business.

The gravel stung as it ripped into Matt's shoulder. A sharp intake of breath followed it as he slid into stonewall, finally coming to a stop. Groaning, he sat up. He took in where he was only to find it outside his home. He stood with a start and hurried into the building to find TK. He was home, but something didn't feel right.

Matt told himself the reason he was looking for TK was because TK was his younger brother. Matt knew, however, that something was dreadfully wrong. No one was out walking around, no one was moving. He finally arrived at the door to their apartment and burst through it, not caring to take off his shoes.

"TK… TK!!!!!!!!!!!" He called and stopped only when he saw the figure of his brother running towards him looking panicked. Relief was far from achieved.

"Matt!" TK yelled, running over and burying his face in Matt's shoulder. Matt pulled him in and sighed, little relief beginning to shine through. That relief was shattered suddenly as an unwelcome guest stepped into the small apartment. Tai turned and came face to face with a pair of incredibly deadly looking slate eyes, the same color as his. Blond hair fell down around the well-tanned face ion layers. Matt came face to face with a female copy of… Himself….

"Hello Yamato… My name's Maria… Mommy made me just for you…. Wanna play?" She asked, a chain whip unraveling and falling to its full length to come and rest on the floor. She tightened her grip and a malicious smirk played at her perfect lips.

"Davis… Davis… Davis…." Some one tutted in disapproval. He cracked open his eyes and came face to face with a smiling Kari. He smiled back but that smile soon faded. There was something weird about Kari. It was then that he realized Kari was wearing black. He blinked back his shock and sat up suddenly.

"Kari?" He asked, confused.

"Yes, Davis?" she asked, a small giggle followed it closely.

"What's with the black clothing..?" She giggled again and spun around.

"You like it?" she asked. Davis blinked.

"You're not Kari…" Kari stopped.

"Yes I am…"

"No… Kari doesn't wear black… and she doesn't giggle…"

"I'm Kari…" Anger flared in those all too familiar eyes. Some one else approached them.

"Davis?" came a familiar voice. He spun around to see…

"Kari?" there she stood, in her usual pink and white shirt, tan shorts and smiling eyes confused at the scene before her while another Kari stood on his other side, decked out in black with anger in those gorgeous eyes.

"Davis… what's going on?"

Blood trickled in a small trail down his cheek as Tai ran down another alleyway. He could hear the man called Cerberus following close behind. Sora was somewhere hidden, Tai hoped she'd done what he'd asked her to do, but he couldn't be sure. He needed a weapon… either that or he had to lose this guy. Then he remembered the Hourglass. He needed to get Sora out of there. He guessed he had about two hours left. He checked the watch he was given before he entered. Scratch that. He had half an hour. He picked up his pace and began to back track, passing Cerberus.

"Sora!" he called, coming up to the area she'd hidden in. She came out and Tai beckoned for her to follow him. She did, easily keeping pace with him. Cerberus was nowhere. He found the portal and the two jumped through. His task had gone well. He arrived, expecting to see the other two but was stunned to see only Jezzy, sitting there and reading a book. She looked up at the two.

"Congratulations… you're the first two to arrive… Have a seat… eat…" she handed them trays of food. Where she got it, Tai didn't care because he was just hungry.

Matt stood and turned to face the one called Maria. She just smiled. Had she had shorter hair and not been so well stacked in the chest area, she could have passed for Matt, fooling anyone around her. Her voice was even nearly identical. This creeped him out. Maria took a step towards him as he took a step towards her. She mirrored his movements. He swore silently in his mind.

"Tsk tsk…Matty boy… quite the mouth you got there… let's fix it." She purred, lashing out with her whip. Matt dodged but his arm still felt the sting as barbed metal cleaved skin from bone. The weapon was vicious, cruel and unforgiving. Matt flinched as the whips fell, losing its grip on his arm. A long gash had begun to bleed severely. He needed to get TK out of there. That's when he remembered the hourglass. They could go through the portal.

"What's this about a portal?" Maria asked. Matt frowned. He remembered as well that the bitch, unsettlingly enough, could read minds. This unnerved him. She lashed out once again and the whip wrapped around his wrist. She pulled and he was forced forward. Maria stopped him from falling and kissed him quickly, teasingly.

"Do I make you nervous?" she asked. Matt smirked.

"No… you make me nauseous!" He growled, before pulling free of her whip and her grasp. His hand and wrist were screaming in pain as blood seeped from the newly opened wounds but he didn't notice. He grabbed TK and forced him forward.

"GO! RUN!" They both took off at a dead run, towards the portal their only hope of escape. Maria let out a screech that sounded almost like a hunting cry and followed, her voice still echoing in the empty streets.

She managed to nearly catch up and lashed out with her whip, tripping Matt. He yelled for TK to keep going and go through the portal while he struggled to free himself from the chain teeth. He finally managed but Maria was already there.

"Where ya goin'? Don't wanna play?" she purred, kicking him in the ribs. Matt winced and scrambled back a few feet so he could stand against the protests of his body..

"Hell no!" He replied, kicking her in the stomach causing her to go down. He turned and ran towards the portal, not even slowing down as he jumped through.

Jezzy looked up from her book with distaste at the state of Matt's appearance. She sighed and dog-eared her page before standing. She clucked in disapproval once with her tongue and walked over to him as he stood.

"Matt, Matt, Matt… what will we ever do with you? Your brother's over there by Tai… you might want to go talk to him and… clean up." She handed him some bandages of which he thanked her for eagerly.

Davis stood and walked over to the normal looking Kari. She blinked and silently asked him what was going on. He shrugged.

"Look… whoever you are..-"

"Kari…" the girl in black said. He nodded.

"Yeah well… I have to be going… come on Kar…" He said, leading the real Kari off. The other girl watched them leave and smiled.

"Buh-bye!" she waved. "See you in Hell…" she smirked and walked away. She'd let them go for now… no doubt her girl Maria had taken out her target. The girl never failed.

Davis and Kari got through the portal without any other interference and unscathed. He noted, however, that Tai had a few cuts but Matt looked like shit. He walked over, Kari close behind. And waved.

"Hey guys! What I miss?" Jezzy did a double take and nearly choked on the lemonade she'd been drinking.

"You're not dead!?! Shit! There goes my next pay check!"


End file.
